COP31 president: It is time to turn promises into actions

{"text":[[{"start":7.12,"text":"This year’s UN climate talks need to move beyond “words and promises” and deliver tangible results, says Murat Kurum, Turkey’s head of the COP31 summit."}],[{"start":17.24,"text":"Almost 200 nations are expected at the coastal resort of Antalya over the next two weeks to discuss a global response to climate change at a time of fraught geopolitics and growing questions about the effectiveness of the talks."}],[{"start":30.44,"text":"Extreme weather events and the energy crisis are piling pressure on countries globally, Kurum says. The incoming COP31 president notes that past iterations of the talks have been slow to make progress in the decade since the Paris climate accord, when almost 200 countries agreed to limit the global temperature rise to well below 2C and ideally to 1.5C."}],[{"start":53.84,"text":"In September, a UN report said the world would likely overshoot the 1.5C target within a few years. “You gather every year, you make decisions, you make commitments and you claim to want to achieve results with regard to combating climate change,” he adds. “But if you don’t get any result out of the commitments and these meetings every year, then how meaningful is it?”"}],[{"start":75.8,"text":"Kurum adds: “It’s high time to translate words and promises into actions and actual implementation on the ground.”"}],[{"start":83.22,"text":"Under a compromise agreed last year, Turkey and Australia are working together on this year’s talks, with the latter serving as president of the negotiations."}],[{"start":91.92,"text":"Turkey is host and president of the summit, where it will oversee the so-called action agenda, the non-negotiated aspect, which draws together businesses, cities and others to drive real-world action."}],[{"start":104.12,"text":"Climate-resilient cities, zero waste initiatives and electrification are among the issues Turkey has said it will champion."}],[{"start":110.58,"text":"Kurum says the energy crisis sparked by this year’s war in the Middle East has laid bare the strategic vulnerabilities of countries being reliant on imported fossil fuels, as skyrocketing energy costs continue to drive up global inflation, stoking widespread political backlash. The burning of fossil fuels is the biggest contributor to the greenhouse gases behind climate change."}],[{"start":132.06,"text":"He says the crisis shows that “energy independence is important for everyone” and that countries “should be able to generate their power and meet their energy needs through clean energy resources”."}],[{"start":142.52,"text":"“What is going on in the Strait of Hormuz should not be causing energy-related problems for the people living in the UK or in Turkey or in Germany or in Africa or anywhere,” he adds."}],[{"start":153.4,"text":"Since June, Kurum has been rallying countries to get behind a new so-called 35 by 35 global electrification target, which he says is crucial to tackling climate change. Under this effort, the share of global final energy demand met by electricity would increase from roughly a fifth today to 35 per cent by 2035."}],[{"start":173.12,"text":"“If we are to achieve the [global] net zero goals by 2050, then at least 35 by 35 is a must,” he says."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":181.76,"text":"Heading into the talks, it remains unclear whether there is wide enough support for the target to become a part of the final negotiated outcome, which would give it more weight."}],[{"start":190.32,"text":"The EU and others have called for clean power to be at the bedrock of any target, fearing others could push for fossil fuels to meet rising electricity demand."}],[{"start":199.76,"text":"Kurum plays down concerns about the target boosting fossil fuels. Instead, he points out that the costs of renewable energy have come down significantly and are now, on average, cheaper than fossil fuels for most, making green power the logical choice."}],[{"start":213.68,"text":"“If you were to choose between any two options, wouldn’t you go for the cheaper one, the less costly one?” he asks. “Plus it’s not harmful to environment.”"}],[{"start":223.56,"text":"Some developing countries, with already stretched financial budgets, have concerns about their ability to meet such a target. “Developing countries should be supported with financing and aid in technology,” says Kurum."}],[{"start":235.2,"text":"He acknowledges that the geopolitical backdrop to the talks is difficult. Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the US has pulled out of the Paris Agreement and the wider UN climate framework, while far-right parties have attacked climate action in other countries around the world."}],[{"start":249.76,"text":"The US has been “very much active” in previous COP processes, says Kurum, but he questions the country’s effectiveness: “The level of your being active in a process can only be measured by the results that you will achieve in the end.”"}],[{"start":263.6,"text":"Still, the world needs to look beyond just government action if the goal of net zero emissions is to be met, he says, emphasising the importance of involving the private sector."}],[{"start":273.44,"text":"Big emitters need to be included in the conversation, he says. The rising greenhouse gas emissions driven by the rapid rollout of AI and data centres will be a key focus at the summit, he adds: “Our expectation from them is to generate the power they use through clean, renewable resources.”"}],[{"start":293.44,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1794213463_8633.mp3"}